Executive Briefings

Northeastern U.S. states are sometimes depicted as not particularly business friendly. But that hasn't deterred some major companies from locating in the Keystone State recently, not least of which is Volvo Construction Equipment Americas. For one thing, Pennsylvania's location makes it very attractive for companies that must get product to customers in a huge portion of the country within a day. And a pocket in Franklin County, in the south central part of the state, is helping them do just that.

Located along the 1-81 corridor, roughly midway between Harrisburg, Pa., and Hagerstown, Md., the county is in close proximity - a one-day truck drive - to nearly 70 percent of the North American population and its consumer markets. Cleveland, Syracuse, New York City and Richmond are each within or close to a 200-mile radius from Shippensburg, the locale in the country where the Volvo unit has broken ground on a $100m expansion on what will become its Americas headquarters.

Volvo Construction Equipment's ambit, of course, extends to all of the Americas and includes an estimated 900 million consumers. The Shippensburg plant currently produces road construction equipment, but will begin turning out wheel loaders starting in early 2013, followed by excavators and articulated haulers. The location in south central Pennsylvania comes at the expense of Asheville, N.C., which is losing all of the Volvo unit's business.

United Business Park, a 363-acre industrial zoned site, is one of the newest attractions to the area, says David J. Remmel, listing broker and president of Landmark Commercial Realty of Lemoyne, Pa. In addition to Volvo, the park's corporate neighbors include Schreiber Foods, Exel Logistics, Giant Foods, Ames True Temper, Whirlpool, Amazon.com, Office Depot, Unilever, Home Depot, Pepsi, K-Mart, Ingram Books, Target, Food Lion and World Kitchen.

The industrial-park project provides immediate proximity to dual intermodal yards via I-81, the CSX facility at Chambersburg, and the Norfolk Southern yard at Greencastle. Zoning permits most manufacturing, distribution and trucking/transportation uses as well as commercial/retail/hospitality uses.

Remmel says county and local governments are "pro business", noting that incentive programs include the Small Business First Fund, First Industries Fund, Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, Machinery & Equipment Loan Fund, and the Pennsylvania First Program.

Located along the 1-81 corridor, roughly midway between Harrisburg, Pa., and Hagerstown, Md., the county is in close proximity - a one-day truck drive - to nearly 70 percent of the North American population and its consumer markets. Cleveland, Syracuse, New York City and Richmond are each within or close to a 200-mile radius from Shippensburg, the locale in the country where the Volvo unit has broken ground on a $100m expansion on what will become its Americas headquarters.

Volvo Construction Equipment's ambit, of course, extends to all of the Americas and includes an estimated 900 million consumers. The Shippensburg plant currently produces road construction equipment, but will begin turning out wheel loaders starting in early 2013, followed by excavators and articulated haulers. The location in south central Pennsylvania comes at the expense of Asheville, N.C., which is losing all of the Volvo unit's business.

United Business Park, a 363-acre industrial zoned site, is one of the newest attractions to the area, says David J. Remmel, listing broker and president of Landmark Commercial Realty of Lemoyne, Pa. In addition to Volvo, the park's corporate neighbors include Schreiber Foods, Exel Logistics, Giant Foods, Ames True Temper, Whirlpool, Amazon.com, Office Depot, Unilever, Home Depot, Pepsi, K-Mart, Ingram Books, Target, Food Lion and World Kitchen.

The industrial-park project provides immediate proximity to dual intermodal yards via I-81, the CSX facility at Chambersburg, and the Norfolk Southern yard at Greencastle. Zoning permits most manufacturing, distribution and trucking/transportation uses as well as commercial/retail/hospitality uses.

Remmel says county and local governments are "pro business", noting that incentive programs include the Small Business First Fund, First Industries Fund, Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, Machinery & Equipment Loan Fund, and the Pennsylvania First Program.